A Fair and Fowl Adventure
by Andrew Smithers
Summary: Alfonse Lee wakes up in an unfamiliar room with zero memories whatsoever. A man named Danny enters and they talk. When the man speaks, Alfonse remembers everything. What's so strange about that? What about his name?
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: So. A new story. I came up with this one as I was working on Finding Again. The strangest things happen when you're in your "typing trance".**

 **Enjoy! I don't own Artemis Fowl. Only this awesome fanfiction.)**

The boy woke up in an unfamiliar room, with no idea how he'd gotten there. All he knew was that he was not where he was supposed to be. The room was simple; White walls, grey sheets, and wooden flooring. There were two windows on the far side of the room, both with black curtains. The boy took this all in instantly, though he didn't know how he did.

The door opened, revealing a man in his forties or fifties. He had the 'average' build: Not fat, not fit. The man sat in a wicker chair next to the boy's bed, and said in a strong and oddly comforting voice:

"How are you feeling?"

At the sound of the voice, the boy suddenly knew who he was, where he was, and why he was there. He was Alfonse Lee, average American 18-year-old. He was in a suburban house in Marietta, Georgia. And he was in this room because he had been in a coma following a car accident that had killed his entire family. The boy spoke his first words since waking up:

"I'm fine. Who are you?"

The man smiled. "My name is Danny Henderson. You may call me Danny, Dan, or Dad. Whichever you prefer."

Alfonse thought. "What about 'Father'?"

Danny raised his eyebrow. "That's fine."

Alfonse nodded. "'Father' it is, then. I take it you're my new family?"

Danny nodded. "I'm sorry about the crash."

Suddenly, full realization hit Alfonse like the crash had: He would never see his family again. He was about to break down, but some iron will told him to conceal his emotions until the man had left.

"Thanks," Alfonse said around the sobs building in his throat.

The man stood up and put a hand on Alfonse's shoulder. "The rest of the family's downstairs. Feel free to come down when you're ready."

Alfonse nodded. He didn't trust his voice anymore. Danny closed the door, and Alfonse lost his composure. He cried until his eyes had no more tears to give. He never did meet the rest of his family that day.

Nearly 4,000 miles away, It was late at night, and Commander Kelp didn't expect anybody to get any work done, especially not an officer by the name of Holly Short. Artemis, not three days after regaining his memories following his resurrection, had been confiscated by the Council and goodness knows what they did with him. For all she knew, the Council could have relocated him, or killed him again. Except this time, there would be no clone for Artemis' soul to inhabit. Holly was currently in her office, staring blankly at her wall. A pile of untouched work sat on her desk, and a smaller pile of completed work sat on the other side. The completed work was for Council Chairman Cahartez, the only council member that voted _against_ confiscating Artemis. It was for that reason Holly had completed his assignments first. That and a few others: He didn't seem to care that she was a female. He respected her as much as the male officers, possibly more. Cahartez respected Holly, therefore Holly respected Cahartez.

Commander Kelp knocked twice, then opened Holly's door. Holly snapped out of her trance. "Come in," she said.

Trouble Kelp came in and sat in a chair next to Holly's desk.

"Captain," he said gently. "I think it's time for you to get some sleep."

Holly shook her head adamantly. "I'm not sleeping until I find Artemis, or at least have some idea of where he is."

Trouble sighed. If he wasn't going to win this, he might as well help. "Fine. But you're not going to get anywhere staring at a wall." He thought for a second. "I'll get Foaly to help."

Holly smiled tiredly. "Thanks, Commander."

"Don't mention it."

A couple minutes later, Holly heard Foaly's hoofsteps outside her door. She beckoned him in, and he cantered through the door, looking nervous. Holly noticed that the tinfoil hat he had ditched ages ago was back on his head.

"Holly," he groaned. "You know I'm not supposed to help you with this. Maybe you should let him go?"

Holly's expression became hard and she said in a dangerous voice, "I'm going to tell you again, Foaly. I. Will. Not. Let. Him. Go." She punctuated each word with a jab of her finger at Foaly. "He didn't let his dad go. He didn't let me go on Hybras. He didn't let the _world_ go when Opal was about to unleash Armageddon. So I will not let him go because of some stupid decision the Council made!"

Foaly stepped back, looking alarmed. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll help." He decided to abandon his usual snarkiness. "Our young friend is currently in America somewhere. One of the southeastern states. Probably Georgia or Florida. I didn't have much say in where he went, but the Council gave me those details."

Holly was entirely focused now. Her brain processed all this information and filed it away for later use.

"America?" Holly thought. "Let's go to the Ops booth."

"Why?" Foaly asked skeptically.

Holly stood, stretching. "Because all your computers are in there."

A few minutes later, Holly stood with Foaly, who was typing faster than she thought possible. After a few seconds, Foaly stopped and stared expectantly at the plasma screen. A map popped up with red dots spread seemingly randomly around it.

"What's that?" Holly asked. She sipped sim-coffee to keep herself awake.

"These," Foaly explained, indicating the dots. "Are recent additions to households: New babies, adoptions, et cetera. What we're looking for is an addition within the past three days," he typed a command, and several dots disappeared. "Adoptions," Again, more dots vanished. "And an age range of 15-18." Now, all the dots disappeared, leaving only four. One in Tampa, Florida, another in Athens and Marietta Georgia, and Alabama City, Alabama. Foaly whinnied in satisfaction. "Now we analyze each one of them and find out which one is Artemis."

Foaly clicked on the adoption in Tampa, Florida. A document popped up with the name Kira Gibson. 16 years old, female, and adopted into the Turner family after her parents divorced. There was no picture.

"Nope." Holly shook her head.

Foaly clicked on the one in Athens, Georgia. This time, the name was Alonso Ramsey. 18, male, adopted into a foster home after he ran away from his own. As with Kira, there was no picture attached.

Holly knit her eyebrows. "Try the one in Marietta." she instructed.

Foaly wordlessly obeyed, selecting the appropriate file.

Alfonse Lee. 18, male. Adopted into the Henderson family after his own family died in a car crash. Currently in a coma.

"That's Artemis." Holly breathed.

Foaly looked surprised. "How do you know?"

"Alfonse Lee. That's one of his aliases. He told me before he got his memories back after Julius died."

Foaly chuckled, then cackled. "That sly devil. He must have chosen the name himself. He knew it was only a matter of time before we would search for him."

Holly felt like the weight of the world had lifted off her shoulders. Artemis was in America.

 **(Excellent... What a way to start a new story, eh? It only gets better from here on!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: We did it. 1,045 views for the month of January. You guys are awesome.)**

Alfonse had discovered something during his breakdown. A piece of paper with what looked like a phone number on it. He did not know why he had it, or where he got it. But he did have a feeling that he should call it as soon as possible. After staring at the number for several minutes, he groaned and went downstairs, where Danny was finishing dishes.

"Hey, Alfonse." he said, "You okay now?"

Alfonse nodded. He showed Danny the phone number. "Do you know who this is?" he asked.

Danny studied the number for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, I don't know."

Alfonse's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you think I should call it?"

Danny shrugged. "Go ahead. The phone's next to the computer." he waved his hand in the vague direction of the aforementioned computer. Alfonse quickly crossed the room and punched in the number. He hesitated before pressing CALL. Who's number was this? Was it even a number? Full of apprehension, Alfonse pressed the button and held the phone up to his ear.

The phone rang twice, then Alfonse heard a deep voice on the other end:  
"Fowl Manor. Who is this?"

Alfonse swallowed. "This is Alfonse Lee. I found this number in my pocket and thought I should call it."

Alfonse heard a choking sound from the other end. "Are you okay?" he asked.

The deep voice sounded alarmed. "Who did you say you were?"

"Alfonse. Alfonse Lee."

He heard several deep breaths, then: "I gotta call Holly. Where are you?"

"Marietta, Georgia. Why?"

"I'll be there in three hours." The mysterious man hung up, and Alfonse was left holding a phone, looking confused.

"Who was it?" Danny asked from the kitchen.

"Fowl Manor, apparently. Some guy asked who I was, then said he'd be here in three hours."

Danny's eyebrows furrowed. "Hmm. Did you get his name?" he asked.

Alfonse shook his head. "No, but his last name is probably Fowl." He chuckled.

"Alfonse," Danny said.

"Yes?"

"When this mystery man gets here, let me answer the door."

"Okay."

Holly, after a great 4-hour sleep session, was back in Police Plaza, getting ready for her trip to America. No, it was not approved by the council. No, her career would not survive another blow like this, and no, she did not care. All she cared about now was getting Artemis back. Her fingers trembled as she fastened the clasps on the wings Commander Kelp had issued her. He was with Holly one hundred percent on this. The three of them - Her, Trouble and Foaly - had formulated a plan to get Artemis back. Foaly was in charge of Intel and making sure everything went smoothly, and Trouble had issued Holly a fake surface assignment. According to him, there was a Mud Man who was getting a little too close to discovering the People, and Holly was supposed to mind-wipe him. If you think about it, that's not too far off from the truth. Once Artemis was safely back in Ireland with his memories back, the Council would undoubtedly find out and suspect Holly. In that event, Trouble would 'readily' testify against her. In reality, the Commander did _not_ like this part. Holly would undoubtedly lose her career and her reputation. He had vainly tried to convince her to take some other route, but Holly had insisted, saying all that mattered was getting Artemis back. Trouble had relented. Now, only Holly knew what she would do after that, and she wasn't planning on telling anybody.

Holly was pulled from her thoughts when Foaly knocked on her office door.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

Holly nodded, slipping a spare nuclear battery in her pocket. Not even Foaly's new wing models had quite enough juice to make it to America and back, especially with a load.

"Let's get you topside then." Foaly said, and Holly sprinted wordlessly past him. She only slowed down when she reached the entrance to E1: Tara, the easiest shuttleport to access, and coincidentally, at only 20 klicks away, the closest to Fowl Manor. Commander Kelp was waiting for her there, and he handed Holly a video-disk. She took it, looking confused.

"It's to show Artemis when you get him." He explained. "It's the disk from his original wipe, and Foaly added more on, in case the original video doesn't do the trick."

Holly nodded. "Good thinking." She strode through the blast doors and boarded the same pod she had ridden all those years ago, when she had been kidnapped by the very Human she was throwing away her career to get back.

Butler was practicing in his dojo, bludgeoning punching bags with the faces of each member of the Fairy Council on them, with the exception of Cahartez, when the call came. Butler picked up the phone.

"Fowl Manor. Who is this?"

A pause, then, "Alfonse Lee. I found this number in my pocket and thought I should call it."

Butler choked. "Who did you say you were?"

"Alfonse. Alfonse Lee."

He took several deep breaths, then said, "I gotta call Holly. Where are you?"

"Marietta, Georgia. Why?"

"I'll be there in three hours." Butler hung up, then bolted from his dojo, clotheslining a punching bag with Chairman Lope's face on it. He ran halfway across the Estate to the hangar that Artemis had built his solar plane in. But Butler wasn't after the solar plane, he was after the Learjet parked next to it. He quickly strapped himself in, and after a quick system's check, took off and flew full speed to Marietta, Georgia. He input the coordinates into the GPS, then contacted Foaly on Artemis' communicator. The centaur picked up on the first ring.

"Foaly." he said, "I need you to find Artemis."

The centaur was silent for three agonizing seconds, then he said, "I already have. Holly's on her way now."

Butler sighed. "Just give me the address, Foaly. I'm already over the Atlantic."

"Even better. I'll send Holly to your coordinates, and you can both go."

"I'll be waiting."

10 minutes later, Butler heard a knock on the window. He looked out to see a smiling Holly easily matching the Learjet's 500 mph top speed. Butler dropped the aircraft to 8,000 feet, then opened the window. Holly flew in, landing silently on the floor. Butler brought the plane back up to altitude and Holly sat in the copilot's seat.

"How did you find out where Artemis was?" Butler asked, breaking the silence.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Holly said. "I had Foaly's help. He hacked into the adoption records and narrowed it down until we found Artemis."

"You mean Alfonse," Butler corrected, smiling. "It was different for me. I got a mystery call, so I asked the name. The caller said Alfonse Lee, and that's how I knew it was Artemis."

Holly smiled. "Clever Mud Boy. He must have written down the number before the wipe."

The rest of the flight passed in silence, broken only by Butler requesting permission to land at the Cobb County International Airport. They were given clearance immediately. Holly shielded when she got off the plane and Butler secured a rental car. Five minutes later, Holly sat shotgun in the rented Kia Forte, and Butler slouched in the driver's seat. She had given Butler the address, and he had input it into the car's GPS. It wasn't long before Butler was driving slowly down the road of a suburban neighborhood.

The GPS chimed. "Your destination is on the right," it said in the robotic voice that annoyed Butler to no end. Outside Holly's window was a simple two-story house: Blue-grey, and a couple shingles missing from the roof. Typical suburban home.

"Artemis lives _there_?" Holly asked incredulously.

Butler grinned. "'Artemis' doesn't live there. 'Alfonse' does."

 **(A/N: Review! Please!)**


	3. Chapter 3

In the three hours following Alfonse's phone call, Alfonse had discovered that, for some reason, he enjoyed meditating. He did that now, concentrating on a name that had popped into his head:

Holly.

Alfonse smiled. For some reason, the name 'Holly' brought him joy. He also had the basics of a face. This 'Holly' seemed to have caramel skin and… Hazel eyes? Blue eyes? No, that wasn't right. She was obviously heterochromatic; One hazel eye, one blue, like his own. The most interesting thing was that her ears did not seem human. They were pointed.

 _Like an Elf_ , Alfonse thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an engine in the driveway. Alfonse checked his watch. Three hours exactly. This man was good. He hurried out of his room, then started down the stairs, but was stopped by Danny.

"Wait a second, Alfonse. I want to see who it is first."

Alfonse frowned and sat down. Where he was, he had a good view of the door, but anybody standing outside would not be able to see him well. Unless, of course, said 'person' was a Blue Diamond bodyguard trained in surveillance. There was a knock, and Danny opened the door. Outside was a massive man, but from where Alfonse was, he couldn't see his face. The mystery man spoke, and it was like thunder has marshalled itself into recognizable voice patterns.

"Where is Alfonse?"

Danny, who had been looking at the man with a defiant glare, melted when he heard the man's voice. But he wasn't about to give up.

"No," he said. "Alfonse isn't here."

The man scoffed. "Try again. I see a pair of legs on the stairs that could not belong to anybody but a teenage boy, and your lie could be detected by a troll. Come down, Alfonse."

Alfonse stood as though in a trance. He stepped down the stairs, and the rest of the massive man came into view. He had to have been at least 7 feet tall, and his suit was stretched from many, many muscles. Then Alfonse noticed the man's face.

"Butler?"

The man smiled. "You remember."

Alfonse furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't know… What is there to remember?"

Butler beckoned Alfonse closer. "Come," he said. "I'll help you remember." He addressed Danny. "I'll be taking Art - Alfonse." He put his massive arm on Alfonse's shoulder and gently steered him out the front door, leaving a stunned Danny standing in the front door.

Alfonse opened the back door of the Kia Forte and sat behind the passenger seat. Butler squeezed in the driver's seat.

"What do you remember, Alfonse?"

"Not much. Just names and faces."

Butler turned around; they had not yet started moving.

"Names and faces? Plural?"  
Alfonse nodded. "Do you know anybody named… Holly?"

A crafty grin spread across Butler's face. "You could say that."

Suddenly, the smallest woman Alfonse had ever seen materialized out of thin air next to him. He jumped back as though struck. "What the - ?" Alfonse stopped as he registered what he was seeing. The girl had caramel skin, heterochromatic eyes -

 _And pointed ears._

For the second time in as many minutes, Artemis furrowed his eyebrows.

"Holly?" he said tentatively.

The girl smiled. "You remember."

"So you're Holly?"

"Yes."

Alfonse nodded. "How do I know you? What about Butler?"

The girl - Holly - frowned. "That's all you remember?" Alfonse nodded again. "Well, first of all, your name isn't Alfonse."

"It isn't?"

"No. Your name is Artemis."

When Holly said _Artemis_ , the boy suddenly remembered. He was Artemis Fowl the Second, and the man currently driving was Butler, his faithful bodyguard. Unfortunately, he still didn't know who this 'Holly' was.

"Butler, old friend. It's nice to see you."

The bodyguard smiled. "What else?"

"Not much. I know my family isn't dead, at least." Alfonse - or rather, Artemis - turned to the Elf, beckoning her to continue. She did, occupying the entire 3-hour flight back to Fowl Manor. As they touched down, Holly withdrew a small laser disk from her pocket.

"Watch this if you want to remember everything I've just told you."

Artemis took the disk, inspecting it closely. "I assume this was prepared by… Foaly?"

"Yes and no. This is the disk you used to trigger a recall the last time you were wiped. I think Foaly added some things on to trigger a total recall."

Artemis exited the Learjet and ran to his study, not waiting for Butler or Holly. He had to get his memories back. He fired up a single Macintosh, then inserted the disk. A single window opened, displaying two folders. One labeled 'Butler', the other 'Artemis'.

Artemis selected the folder with his name, and several text files and two video files opened. One was labeled 'View me first', the other one was labeled 'Secondary Recall'.

The cursor hung over the 'View me first' file for a split second of hesitation, then Artemis clicked on it.

 **(A/N: First person POV, just so it's a little less confusing.)**

The file opened and I was surprised to see myself in what seemed like a small apartment, with blue light filtering in through the windows. I heard Danny's voice:

"Hello? Is this Artemis?" he asked.

I heard my own voice, slightly out of sync with my mouth, as though there had been a bad connection.

"Yes, this is Artemis. I have no time for further introductions, so I will state the reason for my call: to give you an assignment. In a day or two, I will have no memory of this conversation, or of the past several years of my life, for that matter."

Danny's voice: "What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"All you need to do is listen. I assume you know of the existence of a secret community under Ireland?"

"Foaly told me."

Artemis' eyebrows raised. "He did? Wonderful. For the remainder of the call, I will talk to you as though I was talking to myself."

A pause, and Artemis started: "Your name is Artemis Fowl, and there is a secret civilization under the country of Ireland, the inhabitants thereof known as the People. One of them is named Holly Short, who I presume is behind you as you watch this."

I whipped around to see that Holly was, in fact, standing behind me.

"Just watch it." was all she said.

"You kidnapped this particular Elf when you were a mere 12 years old. You ransomed 1 metric ton of gold in turn for her release."

"No surprise there," I chuckled. Video-Artemis continued.

"I am recording this video so you don't become that kind of person again. A few months after that event, the LEP - Lower Elements Police - discovered that somebody was selling AA batteries to a goblin rebellion known as -"

"The Bwa'Kell," I finished. "I remember that."

"But they found out that it wasn't you, but a megalomaniacal pixie named Opal Koboi."  
For some reason, the name gave me shivers. _Opal Koboi_.

"So you helped to defeat her, then you saved your father from the Russian Mafia with the help of Holly Short."

"I shot him… with a fake bullet?" Blurry memories were swirling around my head.

"Shortly after that," Video-Artemis forged on, unaware of my comments. "You met with an American businessman named Jon Spiro to talk about a microcomputer you cobbled together from stolen fairy technology, called the C Cube. Something went wrong, and Spiro stole the Cube, and his own bodyguard, Arno Blunt,"

"Shot Butler. That's why he got slow. But how…" my unspoken question was answered.

"Then you called the LEP using code words to trigger Foaly's sensors, and they sent, once again, Holly Short, and you begged - yes, you begged - her to heal Butler, which she did. Unfortunately, some Kevlar fibers got trapped in his tissue, so his breathing is slowed. On the bright side," Video-Artemis smiled. "He will now life to over 100, and his chest is somewhat bulletproof. After conversing with Commander Julius Root, again of the LEP -" he held up his phone. On it was a picture of what seemed like a beet with facial features and pointed ears.

"You decided to retrieve the Cube from Spiro, but you would be mind-wiped afterward. Which brings us to the reason of this video. As of the time you are watching this, the Council of Haven has mind-wiped you, _again_ , because they believe that you are a danger to the People." he scoffed. "Honestly, they're saying that after I saved their community - and the world - no less than four times." Video-Artemis swiped once, and a younger version of Artemis appeared on the small screen. Video-Video-Artemis started talking.

" _Greetings," said the screen Artemis. "How nice for you to see me. Doubtless, this will be the first intelligent conversation you have had for some time."_

Both Video-Artemis and I said, "agreed."

" _I paused for a second there," continued the screen Artemis. "To give you a chance to respond, thus qualifying this as a conversation. There will be no more pausing, as time is limited. Captain Holly Short is downstairs being distracted by Juliet, but doubtless she will check on me soon."_

I was not surprised. It would have made sense for me to record a video - twice, both apparently illegally - to trigger a recall of my memories.

The video within the video continued. _"I would like to wish you, myself, the best of luck. And welcome back."_

Several pictures flashed on the screen in rapid succession. Video-Artemis had propped the phone on a cup and left when Holly had whispered something in his ear. He had nodded, looking grim. He had returned shortly before the video on the phone ended, looking even more grim. When the video finished, I was stunned. New - or old - memories slotted themselves into place. I was Artemis Fowl the Second. Holly Short was the Elf whose life I had saved and who had saved my life.

And the Council.

The Council of Haven tried to take all of that away from me.


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N: So this chapter basically consists of a part of one of my failed fanfictions, spliced into this one. Let me know how you like it!)**

-Several days earlier-

"I will be _what_?" Artemis Fowl sat in front of the Council of Haven, appalled at their decision.

Chairman Greenwood repeated himself. "You will be mind-wiped, then relocated to America. You are a danger to the People."

Holly, who sat next to Artemis, was furious. "A _danger_? You're saying this after he saved us from the Bwa'Kell Goblin rebellion, saved the magical island of Hybras and all the Demons on it, and saved us from Opal Koboi several times, even sacrificing his own life!"

"You forget," Greenwood stood. "That he is the one that kidnapped you in the first place."

"I don't care about that!" Holly was livid. She stood, poking her finger at Greenwood. "If he hadn't kidnapped me, he wouldn't have been there when the People needed him most!"

Artemis was, for once, completely speechless. These people were going to take him from his family, his friends, and his life? It was too much, even for Artemis' genius.

Greenwood was now equally angry. "We have already reached a decision. He will be mind-wiped, then relocated to America. No questions asked."

Artemis heard this and decided that was too much. "I will not be block wiped," he said adamantly. "I will allow a tuned wipe of memories regarding the People, but no more. Any more than that, and I will - make no mistake - hunt you down and exact my revenge so severely you'll wish you were never born." It was unlike Artemis to make threats like this, but then again, Artemis had never really been this angry before.

Greenwood huffed angrily, plunking back into his seat. "Fine," he said, dismissing Artemis' threat with a wave of his hand. "We will come up with some reason that you have to leave to implant in your mind." he stood. "This meeting is adjourned. You may leave."

Holly and Artemis rose stiffly and left the room. They were silent all the way back to Holly's apartment, which was the only place Artemis was allowed to stay. Once the door closed, Holly finally broke. She sat on the futon and put her head in her hands. When she looked up, her eyes were red with tears.

"Why, Artemis? Why do they have to do this?"

Artemis sat next to her and put a comforting arm around her. "I don't know, Holly. I wish I could stay with my family." _And you_. He scowled. "They can't do this to me. They have no right to take me away from my family like this."

Holly leaned into him, and Artemis felt even more sad. The Council was going to take him away from the only friends he ever had. The pair stayed this way for awhile, enjoying the other's company while they still could, when there was a knock on the door. Holly jerked, then got up to answer it. When she opened the door, a very nervous-looking Foaly stood there. Upon seeing him, Artemis stood and approached the centaur.

"I assume you are summoning us for the mind-wipe?" he asked flatly.

Foaly shook his head, and Artemis noticed that the tinfoil hat that he had abandoned was now back, and double-layered.

"I'm actually not really supposed to be here," he said quietly. "I'm supposed to be preparing the equipment for tomorrow." Seeing Artemis' raised eyebrow, he continued. "The council filled me in on what I'm going to be doing - can I come in?"

"Yeah, come in," Holly responded, moving to let the centaur pass. Once Foaly was inside, she locked the door.

"Go on," she instructed.

Foaly sat on the floor, legs folded underneath him. "The council filled me in on what's going on, and I hate it. I hate it enough to disobey orders."

Holly gave a humorless chuckle. "Just tell us, Foaly. We don't have all night."

"Fine, fine. I am going to leave some memories, not enough for the council to notice, but enough that, in time, you will be hounded by them enough to search for them. You get what I mean?"

Holly nodded slowly, thinking. "So, you're going to leave a few memories, but which ones?"

Foaly tapped his head. "Not much. Just names, faces. Maybe a few codes." He winked at Artemis.

"How long will it take to trigger a total recall?" Artemis asked, clearly interested.

The centaur shrugged. "No way of knowing," he admitted. "Could be two years, could be two months, could be never."

Holly shuddered. "I hope it's not 'never'. I don't think I could live without you."

Artemis thought about this information for a second, then asked, "Where am I being relocated to?"

"Oh, this wonderful family in America. They're middle-aged, two kids, and they're Irish, so your accent won't raise suspicion among others. They know, of course. I don't think they would react well to a teenage boy turning up on their doorstep."

Artemis nodded slowly. "Will I get to meet this family before the wipe?" he asked.

Foaly shook his head. "No, why?"

"I had an idea that I could video call them and have them show me the video in two weeks or so."

It was Foaly's turn to think, and he eventually said, "Yes, I can do that. Hold on, I'll get them online."

A few minutes and several failed calls later, Artemis was alone in the room, with Foaly having left and Holly in her room, and the video chat software ringing. There was a beep, and a middle-aged man's face appeared on the screen.

"Hello? Is this Artemis?" He asked.

"Yes, this is Artemis. I have no time for further introductions, so I will state the reason for my call: to give you an assignment. In a day or two, I will have no memory of this conversation, or of the past several years of my life, for that matter."

The man knit his eyebrows. "What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"All you need to do is listen. I assume you know of the existence of a secret community under Ireland?"

He nodded. "Foaly told me."

Artemis' eyebrows raised. "He did? Wonderful. For the remainder of the call, I will talk to you as though I was talking to myself."

The man nodded, and Artemis started: "Your name is Artemis Fowl, and there is a secret civilization under the country of Ireland, the inhabitants thereof known as the People…"

Artemis was furious. He had changed, no doubt about it. He no longer vowed for revenge like he would have when he was 12, but the Council had committed such an unforgivable act that justice had to be served. Preferably ice cold, with a side of unemployment.

But Artemis could worry about that later. Now, he had to find Holly, and tell her a few things.

His communicator, which had been laying abandoned amongst the pile of hard drives, vibrated and started to ring. Artemis picked it up, grinning.

"Foaly, I presume?"

The centaur's voice came crystal clear through the gel speaker. "Yep. You got your memories back?"

"Of course. How else would I be able to work the communicator?"

Foaly laughed. "Good point. How are you doing? I wasn't expecting you to have a recall within a week. Much less two days."

Artemis flinched as a thought struck him. "I'm fine. Where is Holly?" he asked.

"Ah, let me check." There was silence except for the tapping of Foaly's fingers on the virtual keyboard. "She is still in Fowl Manor, fortunately for you. I've hacked the cameras, and she's in your room. Whoo, she's a mess. Won't respond to anything Butler says."

Artemis scowled, thinking. "I have to go, Foaly. And stay out of my security."

"No promises."

Artemis growled. "I'm serious, Foaly."

"Fine." The centaur hung up, leaving Artemis to carry out his plan. He strode quickly to his room, taking a deep breath before opening the door. Holly sat on his bed, red-eyed, staring blankly at the wall. When he entered his room, she looked at him, and sadness was evident in her eyes.

"How much do you remember?" she asked, her voice raw.

Artemis smiled. "I remember that you are Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police, that I have saved Haven and the world several times, and most importantly," he knelt down to her eye level. "I remember what I said to you before the wipe."

 **(A/N: What did Artemis say to Holly? Hmm… I wonder.**

 **You know the drill! Review, please! It makes me so happy...)**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N: The first part of this chapter [the flashback] is another part of the same failed fanfiction that I was planning on calling Back Again. Fun fact.**

 **Let me know how well it ties in with the rest of the story [grammar, plot holes, etc.]**

 **Enjoy!)**

~~Several Days Earlier~~

Artemis woke on Holly's apartment floor to Holly herself gently shaking his shoulder. He sat up, groaning. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's time for the wipe, Arty."

Two things about this sentence brought Artemis to full consciousness immediately. One, the mention of the mind-wipe. Two, Holly had called him… Arty?

He let his head drop, in a very un-Artemis-like fashion. "The wipe. The one that will erase my memories of the People, again."

Holly looked close to tears as she confirmed, "Yes. that wipe."

Artemis tried for an optimistic smile as he stood up, stretching. "Well, the sooner I get the wipe, the sooner I get my memories back, right?"

Holly allowed herself a sad smile. "I guess so… Still, if you never had it in the first place… stupid Council…"

Artemis' fake smile disappeared as he saw how much distress his friend was in. He realized with a start that, despite the circumstances of their meeting, he had grown quite fond of Holly Short, and full realization finally hit home with more force than a bull troll on steroids. His mind reeled with the fact that he might never see Holly again, let alone be this close.

In a rare gesture of sincerity and trust, Artemis took Holly's hand and walked with her all the way to Foaly's lab, where Foaly and what seemed like half the LEP were waiting. They all noticed Artemis and Holly holding hands and one less than half the total eyebrows in the room shot up clear past the hairline, with the exception of Foaly's, who trotted over and instructed Artemis what to do. Eventually, the other officers in the room got on Foaly's nerves so much that he barked at them all to leave the room.

"Even you, Commander."

Commander Kelp was none too happy about being told to leave, but he did so anyway. When the titanium door hissed shut behind the Commander, Foaly finally let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Whew, that was close. Alright, you two. If there's anything you guys want to say before the wipe, now's the time." When none of them spoke, he continued. "I'll start. Artemis, I will leave residual memories to eventually trigger a total recall, along with the video chat recording. Any requests?"

Artemis nodded. "Just one."

"One request?"

"One memory: I want Holly's name and face to be remembered." he smiled at Holly, who had tears in her eyes. "One more thing, Holly. I never had the courage to say this before, but…" He knelt, looking Holly straight in the eyes. "I love you, Holly. And no matter what it takes, I will return."

Holly, who now let the tears flow unashamedly, wrapped Artemis in a hug and said, "I love you too, Arty."

Foaly smiled at this touching scene. The pair eventually broke apart and Artemis sat in his seat.

"I'm ready," he said somberly.

Foaly connected the electrodes to Artemis' head, and just before he sedated him, the boy looked at Holly and said three words:

"Wait for me."

Then Artemis' head dropped, his chin resting on his chest, and Foaly turned on the machine. Holly saw eight years' worth of memories written on the screen, along with feelings, thoughts, and actions. In a flash, they were gone. Gone from Artemis' memories, and onto a small space in one of Foaly's hard drives.

~~Present Day~~

Holly gasped. "Is it still true?"

Artemis smiled. "Yes. I love you, Holly."

Then Holly did something that surprised Artemis as much as Artemis' confession had surprised her: she grabbed Artemis' head with both hands and pulled him into a passionate kiss. After a split second of hesitation, Artemis returned the kiss with equal passion, running his hands down her arms and grasping her hands. After 30 seconds of this, Holly broke away, only to wrap her tiny arms around as much of Artemis as she could reach, and whispered in his ear:

"You know, the Council isn't going to like this very much."

Artemis pulled back, smiling. "What, the fact that I'm back, or us being together?"

Holly laughed. "Both. In fact, because I assisted in your recall, I could lose my job. Not to mention the whole Fairy-with-a-Human thing." She said this without the barest trace of remorse.

Artemis frowned. "I couldn't ask you to do that."

Holly put a hand on his shoulder. "Arty, I was aware that I could lose my job before I even strapped on the wings. As a matter of fact," She put her other hand on his shoulder and looked Artemis square in the eye. "I was counting on it."

Artemis' eyes momentarily glazed over, then he said, "Why?"

Holly smiled. Her next words were a whisper: "Because I love you, Arty, and I want to be with you."

Artemis felt hot tears sting his cheeks, and he was aware that Holly was crying too. He pulled her into a tender hug, the type where he would brush Holly's hair with his thumb. He did this now for several moments before saying, "Thank you."

 _No!_ His mind screamed. _She is literally throwing away her career for you! The least you can do is come up with a better response!_

So, with that thought implanted in his mind, Artemis did the next logical thing that came to the sliver of his consciousness that was not shattered by emotions:

He pushed Holly away until his hands were on her shoulder, then he knelt on one knee.

"Holly," he said quietly. "Will you marry me?"

Holly looked at Artemis, the gears in her head visibly turning as she comprehended what he had said. Then she smiled.

"Yes."

Artemis smiled, tears forming in his eyes. He pulled her close, then whispered,

"Thank you. Words… cannot describe how happy you've made me."

Holly snuggled into his shoulder. "I know."

They stayed this way, holding each other close, Artemis running his fingers through Holly's hair for several minutes before Artemis' communicator suddenly vibrated. He cursed in Gnommish, then answered the call.

"What is it, Foaly?" he growled. "I'm in the middle of something here."

"I know, lover boy. And so does the Council. They need you both in Haven immediately. They're not happy." He winked. "And neither is Trouble."

Artemis hung up and looked at Holly. "Why did he wink when he said Trouble's not happy?" He seemed not to care that he had just been called to _another_ court hearing.

Holly gave a crafty smirk. "I'll explain afterward."

Artemis shrugged. "Fine by me." He was reminded of a country song that he had heard while attending one of his mother's charity events. 'Waitin' on a Woman', by... Artemis, for once, struggled to remember. Ah, yes. Brad Paisley. He followed Holly out of his room and to the helipad. He knew where they were going: the shuttleport near Tara. He started the Sikorsky, and soon Artemis and Holly were flying to Tara for the hearing that would change both their lives.

Foaly and Commander Kelp met them at the entrance to Police Plaza. Trouble seemed just as normal as ever.

"Hello, Captain," he said with something approaching sadness. "Ready for your hearing?"

Holly nodded.

"Good. What about you, Fowl?"

Artemis nodded as well. He had run through several scenarios on the way to Haven, as well as ways to cope with them. He was as ready as he could ever be.

"Excellent. Captain, are you sure you want to do this? You've worked so hard to be where you are."

"Besides," added Foaly, "I don't think I could handle you not being there."

Holly's expression could have been carved into steel. "Yes. I'm sure."

"Okay," said Trouble. "I'll play along. Artemis, they want to talk to you first."

And with that, Artemis Fowl walked alone into the courtroom for his personal hearing with the Council of Haven.

 **(A/N: Whoaa! I totally blindsided you! Confession of love AND a proposal in the** _ **same chapter**_ **? Whaa?**

 **Okay, no more splicing stories. From here on, it's all original. And I'm just gonna say, the next chapter's a** _ **little**_ **emotional. I'll tell you more when I actually post it.**

 **Review please!)**


	6. Author's Note

Hey! _I_ will no longer be writing this story! I have moved (I say moved, I mean _given_ ) all my stories to my coauthor and friend, Lukas Turner. He's just started writing fanfiction, but I've seen some of his works and they are amazing, if not a *little* out of my 'moral zone', if you will.

I have given him permission to do what he wants with the stories, so if anything _embarassing_ comes up, don't blame me.

Oh. You know how I said I gave _all_ my stories to Lukas? Well, all of them _except_ Finding Again. That one's staying with me.

I'm sure you're all wondering by now why I'm doing this (If you weren't, you are now). Simply, my life has become too busy to be running four fanfictions, as you can tell by the fact that I haven't uploaded anything in a month. Hopefully, Lukas will update a lot more often.

Thanks! I will have Lukas post the original story, along with the chapters he adds on.

Enjoy all those stories from him, and Finding Again from me!


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